Mocha Clubbing

I should definately be falling asleep right now, but I just have to say: Tonight, I felt so, so, alive, so in my element, my comfort zone, my right spot. I worked the Mocha Club table for the Dave Barnes Concert (or went Mocha Clubbing as I like to call it). I can't begin to describe how much I love telling people about the Mocha Club and getting them to sign up and join the cause. Then, to hear Dave talk about it from the stage just is the icing to the cake.

He has a new CD out called Me & You & The World (definately check it out if you haven't). I know I've said this in a previous post, but whenever I listen to it I feel like it was written for me and my group going to Africa. It has been the soundtrack to my life for the past month. Whenever I get stressed our freaked out about this incredible journey ahead of me (which happens more than I'd like to admit), I can put on Dave's CD and feel my soul quiet down and be at peace. One song, Carry Me Through, in particular hits me everytime.

Well, I really felt the need to tell Dave this. I was nervous about it a bit because it's hard to tell someone something that personal amongst the random, "hey nice job tonight" banter they get bombarded with. The outcome of sharing this with the Mr. Dave Barnes?

1) We had a little heart-to-heart moment and a connection. It's hard to explain and I'm not going to try, but it was there. And...

2) I found out I need to bring stickers to Africa. Apparently the kids love them, they are easy to pack, and you can bring enough for everyone to have some.

I hope you all had a wonderful night as well. Only a month or so and I will be back at Varisty Theater Mocha Clubbing it once again (for Matt Wertz's concert). Also, two months from now, my feet with be on Ethiopian soil (feel the goosebumps run down my arms as I say that!)

Until next time...

Quotes

I'm a big quote person. You know those books that are all colorful and have lovely, mostly cheesy, hopefully inspirational quotes all through them? Well, I'm one of those people who love them. I've also gotten into underlining sentences in books as I read them that stand out to me. Not that I ever really go back and ponder them, but I like to believe it someone makes them more prophetic and meaningful.

Anyway, the reason for all this insight? I was looking through my phone today at my "notes" section. I rarely use it. I've only used it to record the set lists for concerts (actually, only for Alternate Routes concerts, but now I just decide I'll get the set list from them afterwards instead, haha), but I also found that I had recorded some random quotes. I must have thought these meaningful enough to find that hidden function in my phone to record them:

"History is more terrifying and more beautiful than we know"
This was said by Minnijean Brown-Trickey. If you don't know who she is, you should google her. Seriously. She's amazing. She was one of the Little Rock Nine and she spoke at Saint Thomas this spring. The quote is actually by someone else, but the name escapes me. Anyway, I remember when she said it. I had just had my first conference call with the team to go to Ethiopia with, and my mind was constantly thinking about Africa. She said those words, and I immediately thought about my upcoming journey. These Ethiopians - their stories - are going to be more terrifying and more beautiful than I can ever know. I can't pretend to have the first clue in knowing their history and their stories. But I can listen and learn and love them for it.

"She is willing to try any endeavor that affords her the opportunity to shake up the etch and sketch of everything she supposes is true, a chance to question all her secret opinions: that this thing is good, that one bad; that this person is better, that one worse."
I distinctly remember quoting this from a magazine and laughing to myself that I was such a dork for doing so. One, I like the wording "shake up the etch and sketch" and wish that I could use it in everyday sentences more often. Two, I strive to be that person. I want to push my limits of my own secret opinioins. I want to be "willing to try." I hope this trip does that for me a little bit.

Finally, dear Christine from Mocha Club left this as a comment on one of my previous blogs. It definately warrants an actual entry:
"Lord, I have said the eternal ‘Yes.’ Let me never, having put my hand to the plough, look back. Make straight the way of the cross before me. Give me love, that there may be no room for a wayward step." - Elisabeth Elliott
I was talking to Elizabeth, who I'm going to Africa with, about different ways we try to keep Africa in our minds throughout the day. She suggested printing up a map of Africa and putting it somewhere that I'd see it regularly. I finally printed one up the other day and put that quote on the bottom of it. It now is above my bed so I can see it before falling asleep and after waking up.

This is definately a lengthy post, and I have homework to still finish! Good night all.

Ethiopian Lutheran Church

Wow. So today I ventured over to Augsburg college campus to go to church. There is a Lutheran church, Trinity, that offers both an American Lutheran and an Ethiopian Lutheran worship service. I got there in time around 12:15 for the Ethiopian service that was suppose to start at 12:30. I walked in and there were all these people sitting around eating food. You know that feeling of walking in somewhere and knowing absolutely no one? Well, a pastor saw me and introduced himself. I told him I was new and was there for the service at 12:30. He looked at me a little strangely and said there was worship already at 11. I told him I knew, but I was there for the Ethiopian service. I explained that I was going to Ethiopia this summer. I bet that's not the answer he was expecting from a really pale Minnesotan girl, huh?

Well, much to my suprise, it was Easter today (because they celebrate the Eastern church's day of Easter) There was tons of Ethiopian food to celebrate. How cool is that! Not something I was expecting, but very cool indeed. The people there were really nice and interested in why I was there.

The service started a little late because of the Easter celebration. There had been quite a few people at the Easter lunch who had went to the morning service, so only about 7 people stayed for the Ethiopian service - all of whom were Africans (not sure if all Ethiopians, but I think so). The entire service was in Amharic so I basically had no idea what was being said the entire time. I had a nice fella sitting next to me though who helped me along a bit. The singing was absolutely gorgeous. And the praying - wow, I have never heard so much emotion being put into a prayer before. It felt almost like they were pleading. Like they felt it in the bottom part of their heart...the part that aches.

During the sermon, the pastor came down and sat next to me while another man went up to give the sermon. I'm not sure who he was, but he may have been the intern pastor. Anyways, the main pastor sat next to me and translated the sermon for me. It was such a cool experience to be looking up ahead and hearing this man speak in his native language, with such gusto, and also hear the sermon soflty interrupted in my ear. Very, very cool.

My favorite part of it all was at the end. The pastor announced in English (most likely for my sake) that we were going to say the Lord's prayer. I whispered it along in English and we all ended at exactly the same time. It was one of those "wow" moments. Just to know that we were saying the exact same thing and pausing at the exact same times.

I'll definately be going back. I think next time I'll go to the earlier service. It's mostly in English but has parts of the service in the African languages. The people were incredibly nice and so understanding. I am so excited to have found this church - and one so close! I have two months before I leave to go there, but I wish I had found it even earlier so I could go more.

Well, I will stop the rambling for the night.

Until next time...

"Brothers and Sisters" by Dave Barnes

Dave Barnes' new CD is more than amazing. It feels like it was written just for me to prepare for this journey. I know that isn't true, but he did write it after his own trip to Africa. Enjoy!

Falling into place...

As you can probably tell from my last blog, trust has been the big issue for me. I know that I trust it to all work out, but sometimes it's hard to remember in my day-to-day life. Anyways, today was one of those days when you take a big sigh and know it's all going to be alright. I found housing for the summer (with wonderful Beth and her family) and therefore can take the internship that was offered to me. They offered to pay me even more if I'd stay down here for the summer, so it makes me really excited that they are so confident that I'll be a good fit with the company. My summer plans have been such a big stress in my life for the past month or so, and to finally have them figured out is an enourmous relief! It makes me remember that I'm not the one in control and things will truly work out the way they are suppose to. Plus, I'm all registered for classes in the fall and found off-campus housing. Things seem to really be falling into place lately!

Now, on an African note, I'll be attending an Ethiopian Lutheran service on Sunday if all goes well. It's really close to campus and is late enough in the afternoon where I know I'll be able to make it. I'll be attending the Mekane Yesus service (Mekane Yesus is the Lutheran church in Ethiopia.) Part of the liturgy will even be in different languages (Amharic and Tigrigna). I'm really excited and may even have a friend venture along with me.

I talked to dear Elizabeth today. She'll be on the trip with me in July. It's always so nice to have those conversations with team members because it leaves you in such a peaceful state. Yes, someone else does know what it feels like to be going through this. I can't believe I'll get to meet her, and the rest of the team, in just two months!

I should get going on my homework for the evening though...

Until next time...

Where I'm At...

Well for starters, I don't really know where I'm at with this trip.  Some days I'm really excited. Other days I almost forget it is even happening.  And other days I'm scared out of my mind.  I find myself having a little "script' memorized to tell people what I'm doing and why.  But in all honestly, it is hard to describe. No, scratch that. Impossible to describe.  How can I accurately describe the emotions that fill my mind on each given day - fear, excitement, nerves, peace, anxiety, worry, and so many more?  How can I describe how I am traveling halfway across the world, incurring debt, going with people I have never met, to serve people who don't even know I exist, all because I "feel" that I am suppose to?

All I know is that in less than 80 days my feet will be on the ground of Ethiopia.  I hope and pray that I'm mentally, physically, and spiritually ready for this. I hope it changes my life and the way I view things.  I hope it brings about good and joy for the life of the Ethiopians I am to serve.  I hope I will walk away with a new-found sense of worldly knowledge and with new friendships that will span not only state boundaries (as with my team) but international boundaries (as with the Ethiopians) as well. 

Trust is the number one issue with me.  All the things above I trust will happen if I am open and willing.  I am working each day to build on that trust and to stop questioning.  To simply ask "how high?" when I'm told to "jump."  Foolish? Maybe. But that is what trust and faith is all about. 

Until next time,

Melissa/Mel/MK/MAK/Whatever...

Inner Pilgrimages

Jess gave me a labyrinth necklace at TEC.  It was a total "skish" moment (skish = super cute and touching, fyi).  She said that she had bought the necklace a while ago and had been wearing it a lot.  But, somehow it just didn't seem right.  Then she heard my give a talk at TEC and I talked a lot about my trip to Africa.  She said when she heard my talk she thought to herself, "This is why I bought it, because it's Melissa's necklace." 

It looks like this:

She passed along what the card said about it:

"The Labyrinth is a symbol of the spiritual journey to the center. It's the outward sign of the inner pilgrimage. It is a feminine symbol used by the vanished matriarchal civilization of ancient Crete. It is believed to have been one of their symbols of feminine mystery."

I haven't been able to stop wearing it since.  I always rub my finder in the back grove of the necklace and when I do, I try to have Africa in my mind.  I also hang it above my head before I go to sleep.  In Jess' words, "Yay inner pilgrimages!"